


pinaceae

by gdgdbaby



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-02
Updated: 2013-01-02
Packaged: 2017-11-23 10:44:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/621242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gdgdbaby/pseuds/gdgdbaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Christmas tree lot is about as pitiful as Sokka probably feels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	pinaceae

**Author's Note:**

> college au christmas fic, written for advent. originally posted at [livejournal](http://gdgdbaby.livejournal.com/97878.html).

"I hate plants," Sokka's moaning into her shoulder, forehead pressed against the curve of her neck. "I hate plants, I hate gen bio, I hate school—"

"Hey, do you want me to crash the car?" Suki shrugs him off and glances at his bowed head with mild concern. "It's over now, alright? Just think about Christmas."

"Now I'm gonna have to wait for grades to come out," Sokka continues. Suki sighs and keeps an eye out for the right exit. "Of course the final had to be on fucking plants, I _hate_ plants—"

"I didn't know that," she says drily. "Tell me more."

"What if I failed, Suki?" He sits up poker-stiff, gesticulating wildly. "What if I have to retake the class?"

"Sit still," she snaps. She maneuvers them off the turnpike and follows the winding road north. "I'm sure you passed. You did fine on everything else, didn't you?"

Sokka sinks back into his seat and just groans.

 

 

The Christmas tree lot is about as pitiful as Sokka probably feels. Most of the tall, strong, symmetrical pines must've been cleared out weeks before, and what's left are the slim pickings for college students with no time to come searching for anything until after exam period. The man at the front of the lot seems like he'd rather be anywhere but here, and gives them a dark looks as they pass.

"Is this our Charlie Brown moment?" Sokka asks later, sitting on a stump and glaring around at the trees. "You know what—can we just chop down one of the trees on campus and call it a day? It's not like our budget allows for extravagance."

"Stop whining," she says. "If I'd known you weren't going to be helpful I would've just left you at home."

"Maybe you should've. Suki, being around this stuff is reminding me of Pinophyta Pinopsida. Gymnosperms, Suki. _Microsporangia_ —"

Suki rolls her eyes. "That's enough." She bends down to survey the trunk of a skinny Balsam fir. "What do you think of this one?"

Sokka grunts. "Alternatively, can we go to Walmart and get a fake—"

"Remember what happened the last time we brought an artificial tree home?" she interrupts, voice pitched low and sweet, as if she's speaking to a small child. Which isn't far from the truth, come to think of it. "Do you want a repeat of Aang—"

"Alright, alright," he says hastily, bringing his hands up. He shuffles through the dirt to where she's standing and squints at the tree. "This one looks fine."

"Great!" Suki says. "Go get the man up front. We'll take it."

 

 

"What do you mean, it's not for sale?" Sokka yells, bristling with righteous indignation.

The man reaches into the thick tangle of branches at the base of the tree and pulls out a soggy, crumpled SOLD tag that's definitely seen better days. "Some folks came by this morning and reserved this one. Paid and everything. Sorry, sir."

"I can't believe this." Sokka throws his hands in the air and stomps off into the shrubbery.

"Don't worry about him," Suki says. "We'll just pick another one."

She finds him in a copse of Frasers, trying to get a _slug_ of all things out of his hair. "How long are we gonna _stay_ here?" Sokka moans. "I hate plants, plants hate me. Isn't it way too cold for slugs? I didn't know they even ate conifers. We definitely didn't learn about these kamikaze fuckers in biology."

"If you spent less time complaining and more time looking at the goddamn trees, we might be on our way back by now," Suki points out.

Sokka frowns at her and tosses the slug back into its natural habitat. "Why must you always be the voice of reason?"

"Because you'd never be able to get anything done without me."

"True," he says.

Suki holds her hand out. "Come on. Let's grab a tree and go."

Sokka takes it, a resigned expression on his face. "Yes, ma'am."


End file.
